Ok, question about Emergency Force Sphere. If the character casts it with a small space at the bottom of the hemi-sphere, can he cast out of it and target another character standing 10 feet away with a spell like haste? Would that give him protection against enemy spell casters 10 feet away? I had this come up during a high level PFS game recently.

Kitsune make great sorcerers with a chrisma bonus and get a boost to dexterity too.

For your first strait spell caster I would suggest a 14 constitution and put your favored class bonus into hit points. That way you can start with 9 hit points.
Use a light crossbow as your weapon and some good spells like color spray and you can really rock a low level adventure.

Don't forget to take a cantrip that can do direct damage like acid splash.

If you have mage armor up and a 16 dexterity you have a decent armor class of 17.

If you have an 18 Charisma and spend one skill point on intimidate you have a +7 with that skill at first level, a nice little skill to have in battle.

These are a few ways to add value as a sorcerer and stay alive.

A scroll or two of Shield for 25 gold each can help survive those first few adventures too!

I agree with the two posters above but..., where in the current Guide does it say you can use your 2 prestige to buy an item like a CLW wand? We know you can't buy it with gold until you get to 9 fame.

Thanks for posting Quiet Riot. I was at the table and he was using Hero lab as "proof" that it worked. We didn't want to slow the game down nor was the "character" in question playing the scenario. He was leveling another character.

I asked him to post in the forum if he couldn't find the exact situation. My thought is always check the actual books first when you are trying to coordinate abilities, not Hero Lab. Hero lab is great, but not for rules.

My first thought along with two other PFS officers was it was still Heavy armour first and mithril as an add on... and couldn't move down two steps for movement.

I believe that all characters and creature of 5 or more hit dice are affected if they have an evil alignment. So, by the time you are able to sling Hellfire around most of the BBEGs will be affected...

Our players get excited when they see a higher CL Wand or partial charge item on the chronicle sheet. I like the idea of keeping it like it is but having something fun or unique on each chronicle sheet.

It can be a one time boon, misc. magic item not seen anywhere else or an influence modifier.

After sitting on the edge of our seats for a 45 minute battle and getting a plane Jane chronicle sheet is a bit of a let down.

One idea, we could rate the GMs and ONLY the VCs and Paizo staff have access to the feedback. That way our VCs could help the judges grow as GMs in a non-public forum. I assume the VCs sign a company promise not to release certain info to the public, this could be another such subject....

As a GM last night I ruled the way Wraithstrike did per my reading of RAW.

The every two points of damage line:

"For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability."

Seems to be quite clear.

"Ability drain actually reduces the relevant ability score. Modify all skills and statistics related to that ability. This might cause you to lose skill points, hit points, and other bonuses. Ability drain can be healed through the use of spells such as restoration."

Only clarifies what happens.

Wraithstrike mentioned he has tried to FAQ it but to no avail, so I believe my ruling is correct until the Dev. team changes RAW.

This is like what happens when you loose a level to a drain. A Barbarian with 18 constitution only looses 5 hit points amongst other penalties even though that level granted him 11 or 12 hit points!

In my home game I let each player know how much closer they are to the next level as a percentage. Example "John your ranger is now 3.15 after tonight's game." He knows he is 15% above level 3. This allows me to spend no more than 5 minutes total on the calculation and also gives me complete control on how fast they are leveling.

As a GM I always hated spending 45 minutes at the end of an night's gaming figuring out how much expo to hand out.

A good pace for my group was around 10 to 20% of a level after 4 hours of gaming, a little more at low levels and a little less at high levels.

If you helped a table make, risked your character's life and consumables with no benefit it would seem somewhat mean spirited to not allow you to retrain if you have not earned another experience point. That's just my 2 coppers....

Can a player stand up, move 5 feet and take a standard action?
The Core rule book isn't clear based on the movement rules.

2nd question:

Two fighters standing next to a shadow. One has a magic weapon the other wants to Aid another and help the fighter with the magic sword on his attack roll. Can the fighter use aid another even if he can't hit the shadow?

On a play by post game I assume the tracking sheet is filled out at the beginning of the session. That way the GM gets his chronicle sheet up front since it doesn't matter if the player characters survive, etc.

I ask my players to have a back up 1st or 2nd level character ready so new players are always welcome in our area. In addition we do sign ups and dedicated high level games to keep the "old timers" happy. As a GM I always have 3 replayable sessions ready to pull out like Murder's Mark, First Steps or Thornkeep level 1-2. Of course the modules do end up taking longer with new players. I also like to sit new players with experienced players that like to help newbies get up to speed if possible. If you have the time, 5 or 6 hours the modules are a nice way to go. Everyone gets a whole level if they are successful and your newbies are already on their way!

Now with that being said some times a game has been organized for a while at a higher tier. I like the new rule that allows 500 gold and 1 experience to be assigned to 1st level character when playing a Pregen. That has really helped when we have a spot at a higher level table and a new player happens to stop by.

Well, on Wednesday's game I did let the players know the ooze was moving pretty slow, even though they didn't have a knowledge check. This was after they saw it move and attack. I think a 10 move would be picked up on pretty easy. As far as the full defense, I assume as soon at the NPC makes one attack it becomes pretty clear the PC is defending. At that point I could see the NPC move on the other squishier PCs behind the fighter and take no AOO, but even then he would have to notice the difference between partial and full defense.

If two PCs are fighting and one is using full defense and the other isn't what kind of knowledge check should the NPC get to recognize the PC's defense situation? Would it be automatic? or perhaps a DC 10 Intelligence check? Rules don't cover this and would like to get some ideas.

Second question.

Creature has a move rate of 20 and moves to attack the PCs who are 15 feet away. On the PCs turn the wizard asks if the creature moves at a rate 30 or faster. (No knowledge check was made BTW.)

It would seem that based on how fast the creature moved up the wizard might have an idea on how fast the creature can move, but I don't want to just give him the 20 move rate. Thoughts here?

I for one would like to allow GMs and or VLs sign off on books owned.
I'm on a computer at work 8 hours a day and like hard copies for gaming. I don't feel I should pay twice and a new policy would really go a long way supporting my long distance trip to Gen Con. I Don't want the airline cost or hassle of bringing all my books to be added to the already expensive trip. If you can prove that you own the books and can travel with a few organized notebooks I bet the GenCon/PaizoCon attendance would increase.

There are a few things I like about the First Steps format. One is that by the end of the FS 3 each character that survives has made it to level two. I also like that they don't have to be played in order. I think there should be a few tough fights, but I agree that very strong crit heavy NPCs should be toned down. Being attacked by 6 goblins makes for a fun fight.
Being surprised by a wight or similar undead that can take down a character a round should not be used in a beginner adventure. You want the players to come back.
Paizo could also use these sessions to help with new GMs too. Perhaps hints on how to role play the Venture Captains. Example: Drangle Dreng speaks in your best Jack Nickolson impersonation.....